The Indiana Pacers made a curious move on Saturday as they look to finalize their 18-man regular roster. The Pacers, who won’t have two key members of their backcourt to open the season, waived Cameron Payne along with two others today.
Payne was a late addition to Indiana’s training camp, signing on October 9. The Pacers signed the 31-year-old to a nonguaranteed Exhibit 9 deal since they were shorthanded at point guard following injuries to T.J. McConnell and Delon Wright. Starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton won’t play this season, and they also passed on signing Monte Morris, as he was dealing with an injury before inking Payne.
Pacers Have Several Options For Backup PG After Releasing Vet
Despite being expected to win the Pacers’ backup point guard job, at least while McConnell is sidelined, Payne struggled in his three preseason games with the Pacers. Payne, known for his electric speed and creating ability, averaged 6.7 points and 2.4 assists. However, he also committed 2.0 turnovers a contest and posted a shooting slash line of 28.6/30.8/1.000.
Indiana went 2-2 in the preseason. Benedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 16.3 points a game this preseason as he shot the ball exceptionally well. The fact that Mathurin shot the ball well is extremely promising, as the 23-year-old will be counted on a lot this year with Halibuton sidelined.
Other promising developments for the Pacers were Jarace Walker producing his best exhibition campaign of his career. Taelon Peter, Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson, and RayJ Dennis had solid fall campaigns.
In addition to waiving Pyne, Indiana also cut Kyle Guy and Ray Spalding. Guy and Spalding were also late training camp additions and signed Exhibit 10 deals. Both players are ticketed to play for the Pacers’ G-League affiliate, Noblesville Boom.
What Is Next For The Pacers?
With the moves, Indiana has 15 players on standard contracts and all three of their two-way spots filled. However, the Pacers roster is imbalanced with a lack of point guards and an overabundance of big men. The Pacers are $6.0 million below the tax line and have a huge injury exemption due to Haliburton being lost for the season. In other words, they can take a big swing if they choose.
With Payne out, Tony Bradley, on a nonguaranteed deal ($2.9 million), could make the team. Bradley, who provided late-season depth, saw sparse action in the preseason. If Bradley is kept, the Pacers have four true centers on the roster. Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam, and Walker can also play the 5.
“Per source, Pacers are still keeping their options open,” Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star said regarding the Pacers roster situation.”They have the four centers on the roster for now, but are still weighing options on what to do with the last spot on the roster. They could go with this roster at the deadline, but they could look for another PG before then.”
Several Pacers are dealing with injuries. Besides Haliburton, McConnell is slated to be out until at least mid-November with a hamstring injury. Rookie Kam Jones will reportedly be out until November 9 due to a back injury, meaning he will miss at least 10 contests. Walker (back soreness), Furphy (back), and Jackson (hamstring) are dealing with ailments. However, there is a good chance all three will be ready for Indiana’s season opener against Oklahoma City on Thursday.
“But for the moment,” Dopirak added, “Not at all clear who the Pacers’ backup point guard will be on Thursday.”
Candidates For Backup Point Guard
Andrew Nembhard has moved to point guard from the wing. While he is a capable facilitator, Nemhard is not the playmaker that Halibuton is, though he is a much better defender. Expect him to see 30 to 35 minutes at point guard until McConnel returns.
If the Pacers don’t make a roster move before opening night, Dennis should be the backup point guard, though Peter has made a strong case. Dennis went undrafted last year, but he did appear in 11 games with the Pacers after a fantastic G-League campaign. The 24-year-old point guard, who is on a two-way deal, also had an intense summer league session.
Dennis started the preseason strong with double-figure scoring efforts against Minnesota and OKC. But he didn’t get much time in the last two exhibition contests, totaling 14 minutes. He finished the campaign with 7.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 turnovers with splits of 32.1/33,3/66.7.
Peter was a pleasant surprise during camp. The 6-4 undrafted rookie scored in double-figures twice and averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 57.1/26.7/1.000. However, he is not a consistent playmaker.
Jackson, who has 40 games of NBA experience, including 31 over the last two seasons, scored 24 points in his lone summer league outing. He was limited to two preseason games, though he did score 14 against the Timberwolves and averaged 8.5 points along with 3.0 assists in 22 total minutes.
Prediction
If Indiana doesn’t go outside the organization, Dennis and Jackson (if healthy) should get the bulk of the minutes behind Nembhard in the early going. Peter could get a few minutes, but he needs G-League seasoning.
Free Agent Options/Trade Options
It is possible that the Pacers could make a trade, with one possibility being Sacramento’s Devin Carter. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line believes that the Kings, who picked up the 2024 lottery picks third-year option ($5.16 million), will move him after signing Russell Westbrook.
Carter is an elite on-ball defender and solid rebounder. But he struggled offensively in his limited minutes last year as well as during the preseason. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in 15.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .375/.100/.500 in four exhibition games.
Indiana could take a flyer on Carter, though would not recommend it, and get him for a portion of Haliburton’s injury exception or a future second-round pick (potentially conditional).
Free Agent Options
There are a few free agent options for the Pacers that make sense. All of the following players were released in the past few days.
Jared Butler: Best option. A 6-3 combo guard has 148 games of NBA experience who can score i spurts and bring defensive enery. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals this preseason for Phoenix.
Dalano Banton: Has been a quality backup the past two seasons and has appeared in 216 career games. A big lead guard who can initiate offense, defend multiple positions, and rebound. He loves to push the pace.
Kennedy Chandler: An interesting option as the 6-foot point guard has elite quickness and is a disruptive defender. Offensively, he thrives in the pick-and-roll and organizing an offense. He had a strong preseason for Philadelphia, scoring in double-figures three times, and averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals.
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